Friday, October 1, 2010

SANKARSHAN THAKUR, TT, New Delhi, Sept. 30: After the bated expectation on contemporary India’s most divisive tangle, an inclusive verdict that gives no party the run of Ayodhya’s disputed site and makes room and time for political reconciliation or the final legal resolution in the Supreme Court.

Allahabad High Court ruled that the disputed area should be divided equally among the Sunni wakf board, the Nirmohi Akhara and representatives of Ram Lalla Virajman, after a three-month status quo to permit appeals to the Supreme Court.

The Ram idol will stay put where once the Babri Masjid stood and the area will go to representatives of Ram Lalla, who may build a permanent temple. The rest of the inner courtyard will belong to both the wakf board and Ram Lalla’s representatives.

The Nirmohi Akhara will get the Ram Chabutra, Sita Rasoi and Bhandar; and the rest of the outer courtyard will be shared by the Akhara and Ram Lalla. But the wakf board’s share must not be less than a third of the total area and, if necessary, it will be given some portions of the outer courtyard.

Today’s ruling left the temple claimants triumphal that the claim of Ram Lalla to the sanctum sanctorum had been given a constitutional emboss, but it also gave a toehold to mosque protagonists, which they now hope to employ to make a case in the apex court.

But above all, and to widespread relief from taut apprehension, it inhibited any resort to precipitate action on the streets by ordering a three-month moratorium.

The security establishment is still keeping its fingers crossed — the first 48 hours do not afford a lowering of guard, as was evident in 1992 — but the respite rang palpably through a statement Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued after a meeting of the cabinet committee on security (CCS) this evening.

“By three separate orders, the honourable judges have given their findings on each of these issues and, in the operative part, moulded the reliefs to the parties in a particular manner,” the Prime Minister said. “The correct conclusion, at this stage, is that the status quo will be maintained until the cases are taken up by the Supreme Court.”

Singh renewed his appeal for calm and held out a stern message to potential mischief-makers. “Let me also state that the government on its part remains fully committed to upholding the rule of law and maintaining peace, order and harmony,” he said, alerting the nation to be vigilant against disruptive elements.

That little untoward erupted in the immediate aftermath of the Lucknow pronouncement is a matter of some relief to the government, but it remains harnessed to the requirements of tackling exigencies. The hawkeye alert is likely to be in place at least until the commencement of the Commonwealth Games on Sunday. India remains on test, and the world’s watching. Nobody in authority is taking chances.

As details of the complex and divided ruling sink in, both the UPA dispensation and the Congress brace for adverse political fallouts, in particular of the manner in which Ram Lalla’s installation at the disputed site has been sanctified by all three judges.

Although minority voices were guarded, pinning their hopes on an appeal to the Supreme Court, there is an underlying sense of injustice and disappointment.

Syed Shahabuddin, a spearhead of the agitation for Babri Masjid, was dismissive of the judgment: “How can Ram be treated as a legal entity? This is not a sensible judgment” — and another leading Muslim voice, MP Shahid Siddiqui, said that the “crime of the demolition of 1992 had been completely washed aside”.

In contrast, the Sangh parivar, fronted today by RSS boss Mohanrao Bhagwat and BJP senior L.K. Advani, could barely conceal its glee. Both abjured flashy celebration of the verdict but both appeared happily convinced that even though an appeal is pending, today’s verdict had sanctioned the construction of a “grand Ram temple” at the disputed site.

Indeed, Bhagwat indirectly hinted at what BJP MP and counsel in the case, Ravi Shankar Prasad, made into a blunt demand: that Muslims should now refrain from appealing to the Supreme Court and accept a Ram temple in the interests of creating a “new peace and brotherhood”.

Advani, who had refreshed his temple call at Somnath only days ago, appeared elated after a meeting of the BJP top brass this evening. “Insofar as the judgment upholds the right of Hindus to construct a Ram temple on the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum), this is a significant move in the direction of the construction of a grand Ram temple,” he said, reading out from a statement. “This opens a new chapter for national integration and a new era for inter-community relations.”

It is the celebratory conviction of the Sangh parivar that nothing now lies in the way of a temple that has begun to worry the UPA and the Congress.

For all their surface composure, nerves are jangling in the Congress over how the BJP could turn the judicial verdict into a political windfall.

Although the party officially welcomed the ruling, some Congress leaders are expressing serious anxieties over the “sense of victory” being projected by the Sangh parivar; their sense is that the BJP may now revive the “pseudo-secular” campaign against the Congress and justify its Ram temple movement in light of the court ruling.

It is not for nothing that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was closeted with top Congress leaders at his residence as the verdict rolled off, bit by bit, on television.

“The look of triumph on Sangh parivar leaders is a cause for worry, not merely because of the impact it may yet have on the minority psyche, but also because of its implications for the Congress,” a senior Congress leader said. “This is not over yet, the challenge may only have been renewed today.”

TitBits: WB new Chief secretary

KalimNews: After the retirement of State home Chief Secretary Ardhendu Sen, Home Secretary Samar Ghosh took over as Chief Secretary of the state on Thursday. The charge of Home Secretary was took over by Dr. G.D. Gautama. Dr. G.D.Gautama was Principal Secretary of Power Department.

KalimNews: Govt of west Bengal has allotted Rs,18 crore for the maintenance and repairing of national highways of north Bengal . According to a source NHAI has sanctioned Rs 30 crores for the same and the first allotment is sanctioned to finish the work before Puja.KalimNews: An explosion in a hill of Nagarkatta Tea Estate in the Dooars has created panic among the local residents. Last night people heard an explosion at around 11 pm. And in the morning people say that dolomite like substances with hot water were oozing out of several places. And after the explosion people saw several fresh stones and small rocks of red, white and other colours around the explosion site. It is reminded that there are dolomite rocks and mines around Pugli khola in the Bhutan hills and the Penden cement factory is located at Gomtu Bhutan 16 km from Birpara.KalimNews: Forner GNLF leader & Ex Kalimpong Municipality Councillor of ward 11 Jigmy Dorji Sherpa joined ABGL. Fearing threatening and attack of GJMM he is now stationed in Siliguri as the other GNLF leaders.Dancing Diamonds don't miss a beat at Commonwealth Games http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ THEY came to Delhi to teach the Kiwis, Brits and Jamaicans a thing or two, but it was Australia's Commonwealth Games netballers who got a lesson at the athletes village. A dancing lesson.

Laura Geitz, Lauren Nourse, Susan Pratley and Natalie Medhurst were walking back to their rooms after lunch when they bumped into a group of year 12 students from Delhi's Banyan Tree School, who had just performed a traditional dance at a welcoming ceremony for the Kenyan and Namibian teams. One thing led to another and soon there were bells ringing, scarves floating, hips shaking and plenty of laughs. For the netballers it was a break from the daily grind of practice, physio and rest. For the girls from Banyon Tree it was an added bonus on one of the best days of their lives. "Everyone at our school auditioned to dance at the ceremony but we were the ones chosen," said 17 year-old Prerna Danghi. "We have practiced for many months and today was very exciting. I think people liked what we did. They clapped a lot." And as for meeting some of the world's best netballers? "Very exciting," she said. "They are very tall aren't they?" After having to settle for silver in Melbourne four years ago, the Australians are determined to go one better this time around and, according to Pratley, the team has been very impressed with the facilities. "The training centre is sensational," she said. "We were all pretty surprised - and there's no complaints about the accommodation. "Things were different in Melbourne, we were at home, we had our family and friends around, but so far everything has been good here. Now we just can't wait until we get out on the court." With bells on, no doubt.National flags of 16 countries hoisted at the Games Village

CWGDELHI, NEW DELHI: The National flags of the contingents from 16 countries – Falkland Islands, St. Lucia, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, St. Helena, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Gambia, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Jamaica, Bermuda and Uganda were hoisted amidst song, dance and celebrations during the ongoing team welcome ceremonies at the Commonwealth Games Village on 30 September.

The contingents were welcomed by Village Mayor, Dalbir Singh, the Games mascot Shera and volunteers. The delegates were presented with a traditional Indian stole (Angavastra) on the occasion. The contingents were headed by their respective Chefs de Mission.

Performance of Montfort & Red Roses Public School

The National flags were raised by volunteers from the National Cadet Corps (NCC) while their National Anthems were rendered. As a souvenir of the beautiful journey of the Queens Baton Relay 2010 Delhi, replicas of the baton were presented to the contingents.

Students from various schools from the city, prominent among them were Montfort & Red Roses Public School, were given an opportunity to visit the Games Village along with their teachers and they also performed live for the delegates.

The delegations were extremely impressed with the collage of musical styles and dances displayed by the children, who were also cheered on by a large contingent of volunteers and other Games Village staff.

KalimNews adds: Students of Banyan Tree school also presented a traditional dance item for the Kenyan and Namibian teams item during the programme, the music of the dance was arranged by Abhisek Rai a music teacher and his team of Noida school of rock. Abhisek hails from kalimpong of Darjeeling district.

Strike on hill campuses, Morcha waits for official communication from NBU

Members of the Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha picket in front of St Joseph’s College in Darjeeling on Thursday. Picture by Suman Tamang

TT, Siliguri, Sept. 30: North Bengal University has rejected the demand to waive the re-assessment fees for applicants from hill colleges, a decision which is likely to intensify the campus strike called by the Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha from today.

The plea to waive fees was one of the demands that the student wing of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had placed before NBU yesterday, a fallout of the poor performance of the students across the region in the varsity’s Part I and Part II undergraduate exams.

The varsity has fixed October 1 as the last day for receiving applications for re-assessment or scrutiny. The fee is Rs 50 for each paper.

The Vidyarthi Morcha has called the strike in 11 colleges across the Darjeeling hills till October 5 and has threatened to extend it, if its demands are not met.

The students’ body, however, is yet to make an announcement as it has not received an official communication from NBU.

Rejecting the Vidyarthi Morcha’s demands, NBU said there were legal bindings that stood in the way of conceding to the demand.

“The fee has been stipulated according to university regulations and it would require an amendment of the norms to grant a waiver. Neither the controller of examinations, nor the vice-chancellor himself has the power to waive re-assessment fees,” said Sushanta Das, the controller of examinations.

But the varsity has agreed to consider the demand to shift the exam time at the undergraduate level to the earlier part of the day for convenience of hill students from distant locations. The university now conducts its exams from 2pm to 5pm.

“We understand the problems faced by the students in the hills and this issue can be discussed by holding meetings with college representatives and people concerned,” Das said.

The hill students have also demanded that just like in the schools there, the college session should be from March to November. The current academic session under NBU starts in July and ends in April.

“The current academic session is convenient only for the colleges in the plains. In the hills, colleges have to rush to complete the syllabus from July to September because there are puja holidays scheduled in October and November and the institutions close for winters for three months from December. In March, the students register for the exams which begin in April,” Nima Sherpa, the media and publicity secretary of the student wing of the Morcha said.

However, the varsity official said it was not feasible to change the academic session because of the UGC guidelines.

“All universities under the UGC have to complete the admission to the post-graduate courses by August. It would be difficult for us to fulfil this UGC stipulation if we concede to their demand. Moreover, all colleges in the country start their sessions in July and end it by April and there can’t be any exceptions for colleges under NBU,” Das said.

Sherpa said the Vidyarthi Morcha was waiting for a response from the varsity authorities. “We have faxed a memorandum to the chancellor and governor M.K. Narayanan mentioning these issues today,” Sherpa added.Kumudini Pariwar organised Marathon Race and athletic meet in Kalimpong

KalimNews: 10th Inter school cross country race and athletic competition was organised by Kumudini Pariwar an alumni association of Kumudini Homes in Kalimpong. T lachungpa an industrialist of Sikkim an alumni and President of Sikkim Citizen Forum was the Chief guest. Prabal Chhetri and Puran Rai of SUMI ranked first and second in the Boys 1500 mt Marathon race while Saroj Gurung of Pagang Gumba School ranked third. In the girls group Sangita Rai and Sabitri Raiof Janta Jr High School ranked first and the second while Anju Tamang of Algarah High School ranked third.

Girls in Marathon

Boys in Marathon

GJMM Torch rally in Kalimpong

Rail claims 19 halts to save jumbos

Finally under watchful eyes?

TT, Alipurduar/Siliguri, Sept. 30: Railway staff have spotted wild elephants close to the tracks and stopped trains 19 times since September 22 when seven jumbos were mowed down by a speeding goods train in Banarhat, the Northeast Frontier Railway has claimed.

“After the incident of September 22, our staff spotted elephant herds and instructed train drivers to stop. Yesterday, a herd was roaming at night near the yard of the Bagrakote station and train movement was controlled till the animals left. We have started clearing vegetation alongside the tracks. We are also cracking down on illegal cultivation of crops on railway land,” said A. Ahmed, the senior divisional commercial manager of the Alipurduar division. He said all the trains had been halted at night.

There were frequent complaints that elephants could not be spotted by train drivers because of the thickets along the tracks.

An NFR official said no forester had been sent to the control room of Alipurduar station to keep railway staff informed on elephant movements. “Whatever information we get from the forest department is on elephant movements during the day,” he added.

The RSP MP from Alipurduar, Monohar Tirkey, admitted that chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s request to Union minister of state for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh to ban the night running of trains along the Siliguri-Alipurduar route would have a negative political impact on the Dooars.

“The train track is the lifeline for the Dooars. I will request the chief minister as well as the Centre to find some other solution so that both wildlife and the local economy are protected,” Tirkey told The Telegraph over the phone from Delhi.

The MP was candid about the eroding base of his party in the brew belt. “There is no denying the fact that our support base has dwindled after the emergence of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad. If the state government supports the restriction on train running, the Trinamul Congress and the Congress will stand to gain. The chief minister’s proposal has already generated protests,” said Tirkey.

Asim on NH

Bengal finance minister Asim Dasgupta said patchworks on NH31, NH31C and NH31D passing through north Bengal would be completed by October 7, reports our Calcutta correspondent.

“I, PWD (public works department) minister Khiti Goswami, and backward classes welfare minister, Jogesh Barman sat with senior officials of the National Highways Authority of India today and it was decided that they would complete patchwork on a 100-kilometre stretch before Mahalaya. The state PWD is looking after the repair of 300 kilometres,” Dasgupta said at Writers’ Buildings.

Left plans SMC motion

TT, Siliguri, Sept. 30: The CPM today said it was exploring the possibility of bringing a no-confidence motion against the Congress-run board in Siliguri, a day after the Trinamul Congress declared that the “honeymoon with the Congress was over”.

Led by their leader Gautam Deb, Trinamul councillors yesterday staged a noisy walkout from the board meeting, alleging that the board was being run on a “tacit understanding” with the CPM.

“Yesterday’s incident has prompted us to mull over the aspect of no-confidence motion and have a look into the rules and clauses of bringing such a motion,” said Nurul Islam, the leader of the Opposition at the SMC. “It is not that we will bring the motion overnight, but we will definitely explore the laws associated with it because of the board’s failure to carry out development activities in town.”

The 47-ward SMC has 15 Congress councillors, 14 from Trinamul and 17 from the Left Front. One seat (Ward 31) has been vacant following the resignation of a Trinamul councillor.

The CPM idea to explore the no-confidence motion is based on the premise that Trinamul may not support the Congress in the SMC. However, sources in Trinamul said this was unlikely as in such a situation the party would almost be certain to back the Congress to prevent the CPM from taking over the board.

Islam, a former mayor, said both Trinamul and the Congress were more interested in their posts rather than the development of Siliguri.

He said although his party had voted in favour of the Congress candidates at the mayor’s and the chairperson’s elections, it had also expressed no-confidence against the board in various proceedings, including the budget meeting. “But on all occasions, Trinamul had stood beside the Congress-led board.”

Trinamul leader Deb said the state leaders were aware of the latest development at the SMC. “However, we are sending a report to the highest leadership mentioning certain points to prove the tacit understanding between the CPM and the Congress.”

“From now on, we will act as an opposition party in the civic body,” he added.

The Congress described the Trinamul councillors’ behaviour as “unbecoming” of an ally.

“Since the SMC poll results were out in September last year, the Trinamul leaders have worked in a manner that has affected the alliance,” said Deepa Das Munshi, the Congress MP from Raiganj, over the phone.

“Yesterday’s behaviour was unbecoming on their part but even then I feel it is important to cement the alliance and ensure a joint board.”

Deb, however, ruled out approaching the Congress. “Unless they dissolve the board, there is no scope for any discussion,” he said.

Prof suicide bid

TT, Malda, Sept. 30: The husband of a lady teacher of Chanchal College has lodged an FIR against three of her colleagues after she attempted suicide by consuming sleeping pills last night.

The 28-year-old woman, Lakshmi Saha, was admitted to Chanchal rural hospital in a serious condition. The accused teachers have also lodged a complaint against Saha, saying she had tried to murder them on the campus yesterday with the help of four students.

“I am being harassed since the day I got married to one of my students,” an officer of Chanchal police station quoted Saha as saying.

According to her, the three teachers had taken the initiative to get her dismissed from college, pleading that her marriage to a student was vitiating the campus atmosphere.

Saha married her student Manabendra Roy, 23, three months ago. The teachers’ council decided yesterday that it would recommend her sacking to the general body of the institute. Officiating principal of the college Anita Chakraborty said: “There was a pressure on me to sack the lady teacher. But I did not agree.”

Slap slur meet

TT, Siliguri, Sept. 30: The Siliguri College authorities will call a meeting soon as a conciliatory measure to defuse the tension that arose after a student alleged yesterday that a teacher had slapped her.

Sudeshna Dutta, a third-year student of philosophy (honours), had alleged that Krishna Pal, a history teacher, had slapped her when she had gone to return a book she had borrowed.

She accused Pal, who is the convener of the Trinamul Congress education cell, of victimising her for being an SFI supporter.

The girl also complained that Sangeeta Raha, a teacher of philosophy department, had used filthy language and reprimanded her for not attending classes.

“We discussed the matter thoroughly today and took a decision that a meeting would be convened in a few days to hear out the versions of the two teachers, the student and her parents. We will try to solve the issue amicably,” said Malay Karanjai, the principal of the college, after a teachers’ council meeting.

Sudeshna had fainted after the slap and was admitted to the district hospital here. She was discharged today. The girl’s family also filed an FIR against Raha and Pal.

Classes were suspended at the college this afternoon and the SFI and the Trinamul Chhatra Parishad demonstrated in front of the administrative building, the former in favour of Sudeshna and the latter for Pal.

Badly behaved kids? blame it on their genes

SNS, LONDON, 30 SEPT: You can no longer blame it on junk food or bad parenting.
Children's bad behaviour is down to their genes, says a new study, led by an Indian-origin researcher.
Prof. Anita Thapar and colleagues at Cardiff University have carried out the study and found that the condition called Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is due to the complex genetic faults, The Lancet journal reported.
The study shows that around 16 per cent of children with ADHD have a glitch in their DNA, which means they have the wrong number of genes.
The researchers believe that tests will eventually show that DNA glitches may account for up to 80 per cent of all cases. But, they warn that bad diet and poor upbringing might still make the condition worse.
The study suggests genetic problems linked to ADHD are also linked to other brain disorders, including schizophrenia and autism.
For the study, the researchers looked at the DNA of 366 children with the condition and 1047 without it. And, they found parts of DNA were either duplicated or missing in around 16 per cent with ADHD but in only seven per cent of population.
Prof. Thapar was quoted by the British media as saying: “Now we can say with confidence that brains of children with this condition develop differently. We hope that the findings will help overcome the stigma associated with ADHD.
“Too often, people dismiss ADHD as being down to bad parenting or poor diet. As a clinician, it was clear to me that this was unlikely to be the case. Now we can say with confidence that ADHD is a genetic disease and that the brains of children with this condition develop differently to those of other children.” Missing mother and daughter of Sikkim

KalimNews:Kavita Subba - a resident of Jorethang,South Sikkim has been missingalong with 3.5 year old daughter Nayuma since 11th september. It has been assumed by her husband Sajan Subba that they were at NJP railway station on 14 September after hearing the background noise during the last call made by him, which to his horror came unanswered. They were also spotted before that at Kalimpong by his friends.

According to her husband they are suspecting a 46 yr old man namedRaymond Mothey to have a hand on their disappearance. Theman was working nearby their house and had a bad reputation of being a drunkard, he has also moved somewhere as such his appearance raises question mark.

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